Susanna Reid says goodbye to ‘disruptive’ Piers Morgan after leaving GMB | Piers Morgan

Susanna Reid has told viewers of the first Good Morning Britain after Piers Morgan’s departure that they “disagreed on many things”, including his remarks about the Duchess of Sussex, describing him as a “frank, defiant, stubborn, disturbing. ” announcer”.

Reid said Morgan, who is believed to have left after a confrontation with ITV executives because he refused to apologize for questioning the veracity of Meghan’s comments about her suicidal thoughts, had “decided to leave the show.”

“It’s certainly going to be very different, but the shows go on and so on,” he added.

Morgan left the set Tuesday after a disagreement with weather anchor Alex Beresford and would face an Ofcom investigation after 41,000 complaints for his comments, including one sent on behalf of Meghan. In a tweet, sent while the show aired Wednesday morning, Morgan appeared to confirm that her refusal to retract her comments was behind her departure.

He wrote: “On Monday, I said that I did not believe Meghan Markle in her interview with Oprah. I have had time to reflect on this opinion and have not yet done so. If you did, that’s fine. Freedom of speech is a hill I’m happy to die on. ”He said he was“ ready to spend more time with my opinions, ”adding a quote from Winston Churchill on freedom of speech.

Meanwhile, on air, Ranvir Singh, who replaced Morgan as Reid’s co-host, opened the show by telling viewers, “We’ll talk about what you think. I know what you have in mind, we’ll figure it out. “

Later, in a carefully crafted monologue, Reid said that Morgan “has many critics and many fans” and “has been a voice for many of you and a voice that many of you have criticized.”

“He’ll know that I disagreed with him about Meghan’s interview,” she said. “He himself clarified his comments about his mental health on yesterday’s show. There are many voices in GMB and everyone has their opinion. But now Piers has decided to leave the show. Some of you can cheer and some of you can boo.

“He’s been my presenting partner, Monday through Wednesday, for over five years.”

Singh later said: “Piers is a unique individual … someone who was not afraid of how people saw him, or the impact he possibly had on other people for what he said.”

By early Tuesday afternoon, Ofcom had received more than 41,000 complaints about Morgan’s comments, prompting the broadcasting regulator to launch an investigation into whether his comments violated the UK broadcasting code related to damages and offenses. .

The Guardian understands that a formal complaint was filed with ITV on behalf of the Duchess after the broadcast.

Following the announcement, ITV issued a statement saying: “Following discussions with ITV, Piers Morgan has decided that now is the time to leave Good Morning Britain. ITV has accepted this decision and has nothing more to add ”.

Meghan told Oprah Winfrey that she had asked to seek outpatient care to help with her suicidal thoughts, but was told she shouldn’t.

Morgan questioned in Monday’s GMB whether the duchess was telling the truth. “Who did you go to?” he said. “What did they tell you? Sorry, I don’t believe a word he said, Meghan Markle. I wouldn’t believe it if you read me a weather report.”